It was simply a matter of when and not if Ohio State would extend an offer to Canton (Ohio) McKinley junior defensive end Se'von Pittman. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound prospect finally got his verbal offer on Monday and was excited to hear the news.

"I was just happy at the fact that O-State offered me," Pittman said. "Being recognized by a big time program like Ohio State is a good thing. Just the fact that they offered me was a blessing."

Pittman recently named a top three of Alabama, Michigan State, and Ohio State. Coming forward with an offer has definitely increased the Buckeyes' chances with one of Ohio's top prospects.

"It really puts them up there," Pittman said. "Now that I have an offer from them, that lets me know that the door is wide open for me to go there. It boosted them up a lot in my mind and it really helped me with seeing where I stand as far as playing for them and sooner or later I will probably end up committing."

As one of the more versatile defensive linemen in Ohio, Pittman projects well to a variety spots along the front four.

"We haven't really talked about (a specific position)," Pittman explained. "Pretty soon I should be going up there for the spring game and maybe when I'm there we'll talk about it a little bit."

While the Ohio State offer has Pittman excited, he is still planning on looking around and familiarizing himself with some other schools.

"My plan is to wait it out a little longer because I have a lot of visits to take over the summer," he said. "I do want to get it over with before my senior season. I want my high school career to be (distraction free) I don't want any distractions, I want to think about (recruiting) right now."

Ohio State isn't the only national power to extend a verbal offer Pittman's way as Florida and Michigan have recently entered the mix. Pittman is considering a visit to Ann Arbor (Mich.) sometime between now and the summer.

"I talked to a coach from Michigan and he told me that he would love for me to come down (on a visit) and would love for me to be a part of their program," he said. "I've got to take my visits and stuff but I'll know where I stand and where I want to go by the time my season starts."